Police arrived at the inn on 3846 SW Topeka Blvd. soon thereafter and someone in the hotel had taken the knife from him.

Both the man, and a woman in the room with him, were transported to a local hospital because drug use was involved.

This afternoon, the man was out of the hospital and was arrested on charges that are unrelated to the morning incident at Travelers Inn.

]]>http://ksnt.com/2015/08/02/naked-man-running-through-travelers-inn-with-knife-arrested/feed/0Sun, 02 Aug 2015 20:59:47 +0000knife hand stabbingksntzoebrownHot and humid weather continues into Augusthttp://ksnt.com/2015/07/31/hot-and-humid-weather-continues-into-august/
http://ksnt.com/2015/07/31/hot-and-humid-weather-continues-into-august/#commentsFri, 31 Jul 2015 21:51:37 +0000http://ksnt.com/?p=143675]]>High temperatures will be in the lower and middle 90s through Monday. The humidity will be sticking around too, sending heat index values close to 100°.

There is some relief in sight, as we are tracking a cold front that will make into Northeast Kansas by Tuesday. It will bring some rain chances next week. Plus, we’re tracking a cool down – with highs in the 80s.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Vice President Joe Biden’s associates have resumed discussions about a 2016 presidential run after largely shelving such deliberations while his son was sick and dying earlier this year. But Biden has yet to tell his staff whether he will run or personally ask them to do any planning for a potential campaign, according to several people close to the vice president.

Recent conversations between Biden’s associates and Democratic donors and operatives have led to speculation that Biden will challenge front-runner Hillary Rodham Clinton for the party’s nomination, and individuals close to Biden have started looking into the options that might be available to him if he were to run, such as potential staff in Iowa and the filing deadlines for entering the Democratic field.

But the people close to the vice president say his launching a White House run remains uncertain. Biden is expected to make a final decision as soon as early September, according to those familiar with his plans.

The people close to Biden spoke to The Associated Press on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the deliberations publicly.

The renewed focus on Biden comes amid some signs of weakness for Clinton, including declines in her favorability ratings among voters in recent polling. Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders, who is challenging Clinton for the Democratic nomination, has been attracting large crowds with his liberal economic message, evidence of a hunger within the party for an alternative to Clinton’s candidacy.

Biden’s entry could reshape the dynamics of the Democratic primary, giving the party another option that might appeal to a wide swath of voters. Yet Clinton remains enormously popular among Democrats. She has amassed a large staff of seasoned operatives and raised nearly $50 million for her campaign.

There are few signs, meanwhile, that Biden is taking solid steps toward launching a campaign. He has had little interaction with a “draft Biden” group pushing him to run, and has yet to look for office space in early voting states or raise money for a potential bid.

Kendra Barkoff, the vice president’s press secretary, said Biden was spending his time working on President Barack Obama’s agenda, not on planning his own potential presidential campaign.

“As the Biden family continues to go through this difficult time, the vice president is focused on his family and immersed in his work,” Barkoff said.

Biden’s son, Beau, died of brain cancer in May. The younger Biden’s death prompted an outpouring of support for the vice president, who also lost a daughter and his first wife in a car accident in 1972.

Since Beau Biden’s death, his father has surrounded himself with longtime confidants and former aides for comfort and emotional support. But these allies also were involved with Biden’s two previous presidential campaigns. Former Delaware Sen. Ted Kaufman, who has advised Biden for most of his political career, and Mike Donilon, a friend and longtime political aide, have both been given offices in the Eisenhower Executive Office Building steps from the vice president’s West Wing office.

In recent weeks, a bevy of longtime donors, supporters and former staffers have reached out to the vice president and his staff to offer their condolences, as well as to say they’d be on board if he chooses to run.

The intense speculation around a potential Biden run grew even louder this past week when Fox News reported that Biden chief of staff Steve Ricchetti had met for breakfast with Louis Susman, a prominent Democratic donor and former U.S. ambassador to the United Kingdom. But individuals familiar with the meeting said Susman and Ricchetti are longtime friends and that Susman initiated the meeting.

New York Times columnist Maureen Dowd also reported Saturday that Beau Biden had, before his death, urged his father to run.

Biden, who is 72, would be the oldest president ever elected to a first term if he ran for the White House and won. He would bring to the race 36 years of experience in the Senate as well as a breadth of foreign and domestic policy experience from his years as vice president and two previous presidential campaigns. He’s been a key negotiator for Obama during fiscal fights on Capitol Hill and also the point person for administration policy in Ukraine and Iraq.

However, Biden’s freewheeling, undisciplined style has caused headaches for the White House and has long been a concern for Democrats as he’s weighed the prospect of running in 2016.

LOWER LAKE, Calif. (AP) — Blazes raging in forests and woodlands across California have taken the life of a firefighter and forced hundreds of people to flee their homes as crews continue to battle the flames from the air and the ground.

Twenty-three large fires, many sparked by lightning strikes, were burning across Northern California on Saturday, said Daniel Berlant, spokesman for the state Department of Forestry and Fire Protection. Some 9,000 firefighters were working to subdue them, something made incredibly difficult by several years of drought that have dried out California.

“The conditions and fire behavior we’re seeing at 10 in the morning is typically what we’d see in late afternoon in late August and September,” said Nick Schuler, a division chief with Cal Fire. “But because of the dry conditions, because of the drought-stricken vegetation accompanied by the steep terrain and winds, we’re seeing fire activity that’s abnormal for this time of year.”

The fires prompted Gov. Jerry Brown to declare a state of emergency for California and activate the California National Guard to help with disaster recovery.

Berlant said firefighters were hoping cooler weather might help them this weekend, but there was also the threat that lingering thunderstorms could bring more lightning strikes like those that ignited several of the fires.

___

FIRFIGHTER KILLED

Engine Capt. David Ruhl, from South Dakota, was killed battling a fast-moving blazee that broke out Thursday in the Modoc National Forest about 100 miles south of Oregon.

Ruhl was in a vehicle Thursday, looking for ways to attack the blaze, when the fire suddenly grew and trapped him, fire information officer Ken Sandusky said. His body was recovered Friday.

Ruhl, part of a Black Hills National Forest firefighting team, had been helping California firefighters since June.

The fire had grown to about 3 acres by Saturday, and it was 5 percent contained.

___

BURNING HILLS

The biggest fire was in the Lower Lake area north of San Francisco, where firefighters had to wade through thick smoke and flying embers to turn loose horses, goats and other livestock as their owners fled to safety.

The fast-moving fire had burned three homes by Friday and was threatening 450 other structures. Only 5 percent contained by Saturday, it had charred 35 square miles south of Clear Lake, a popular summer recreation spot.

At least 650 residents have been evacuated from their homes as the blaze raged in hills covered in dense brush and oak trees and dotted with ranch homes.

“We saw it behind our house. We saw the smoke pouring over. So we just started collecting stuff and we left, to find out later that everyone was evacuated out here,” said resident Julie Flannery.

When they returned Friday, they found their two horses and one mule were gone. They hoped firefighters turned them loose so they could make their way to safety.

“The rest of this is just material stuff,” she said. “The animals and the family is the most important.”

___

FOOTHILLS FIRES

A woman was arrested in connection with a small fire near Groveland, a stop-off point for travelers headed to Yosemite National Park.

The 200-acre fire, about 20 miles from the park’s entrance, was 45 percent contained Saturday, when all evacuations were lifted and residents were allowed to return to their homes.

Lisa Ann Vilmur was arrested Thursday night on allegations of recklessly causing a fire. She was jailed on $100,000 bail, and it was not known if she has an attorney who could comment.

In a separate foothills blaze northeast of Sacramento, evacuation orders were lifted for residents of 50 homes. The fire, which ignited Saturday, burned through more than 3 1/2 square miles and was almost fully contained.

___

BASS LAKE BLAZE

A wildfire that caused the evacuation of 200 homes in the central California community of Cascadel Woods was partially contained.

Authorities say a boy acknowledged starting the fire near Bass Lake by playing with a lighter to burn pine needles. The fire, which has been burning for several days, has grown to more than 6 square miles.

___

NAPA FIRE LINES HOLDING

Crews battling a fire east of Napa Valley held their ground Saturday, more than a week after the blaze started about 45 miles east of Napa’s wine county.

More than 12 square miles in Solano County have been charred, but the fire was 92 percent contained, and crews expectd to have it fully corralled by Monday.

Copyright 2015 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

KANSAS CITY, Kan. (AP) — A billionaire Las Vegas casino owner has purchased The Woodlands racing complex in eastern Kansas, but with a number of unanswered legislative questions and an estimated $50 million in renovations needed, the facility’s future is far from certain.

Competition from Kansas City, Missouri, casinos and a lagging interest in dog racing started dragging down what once was a main attraction in Wyandotte County. Slot machines were considered a remedy for the facility’s problems after the state signed the Kansas Expanded Lottery Act into law in 2007, allowing such places to become racinos, The Kansas City Star reported.

The tax rate on slots at the track was so severe, however, that it would have been difficult if not impossible to turn a profit, Woodlands supporters said. The track, which opened in 1989, held its grand finale race in August 2008 and then closed.

Phil Ruffin now owns three Kansas tracks — all closed — including Camptown Greyhound Park in Frontenac and Wichita Greyhound Park in Park City. He said he could employ a total of 2,000 people among all three from the start if the Legislature approves a measure giving them a bigger share of any slot machine winnings.

Under the current law, “destination casino resorts” like the Hollywood Casino at Kansas Speedway pay about 27 percent of revenue in taxes to the state and local government. But if the Woodlands were to add slot machines, 60 percent of the net electronic gaming income would be divided among the local city or county, racing purses and other state funds. That leaves the racetrack with 25 percent to take home and 15 percent that can be used for gaming expenses.

Several attempts have been made over the years to revive racetracks in the state by changing the tax structure. The latest was a measure backed by Leavenworth Republican Sen. Steve Fitzgerald during this year’s legislative session that would let the racino keep 64.5 percent of income for the first two years and 60.5 percent every year after that. The bill passed the Senate on a 24-12 vote, but it stalled in the House. And there’s no guarantee it will be approved next year.

On a recent visit to The Woodlands, Ruffin saw the blemishes up close. He noted the interior needed to be gutted, the need for a new ceiling and a new roof. He estimated renovations could cost $50 million or more, but decided to buy it anyway.

If an agreement on the taxes can’t be reached, Ruffin will still have 400 prime acres in an area that has seen a burst of new construction and attractions in recent years.

“We buy ground all the time,” he said. “It’s a business we know.”

Copyright 2015 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Hurt by comments about her family and moved by the death of a close friend and idol, Rousey got off to a quick start and knocked out home-crowd favorite Bethe Correia only 34 seconds into the first round at UFC 190 on Saturday night.

Rousey defended her bantamweight title by throwing a rapid sequence of punches at the Brazilian’s head, landing a combination of right and left strikes that sent her opponent face-first into the ground and disappointed the local fans packing the HSBC Arena.

It was yet another impressive performance by Rousey, who improved to 12-0 in her incredible MMA career.

She has been crushing her opponents inside the octagon, but this victory seemed special.

Rousey came into the fight upset with Correia after the Brazilian made a comment apparently referencing to Rousey’s father’s suicide. Rousey said Correia crossed the line, so she would try to embarrass her in front of her fans.

“I hope that nobody really brings up my family anymore when it comes to fights,” she said. “I hope this is the last time.”

Before the fight, Correia had said she didn’t know about what happened to Rousey’s father and never intended to attack her personally.

Rousey also was extra motivated after the death of Hall of Fame wrestler Roddy Piper, who was one her greatest idols and inspired her to take the “Rowdy” nickname. She had said she would be fighting for him.

“We’ve lost a really close friend, ‘Rowdy’ Roddy Piper, who gave me his permission to use his name as a fighter, so I hope he and my dad had a good time watching this today,” Rousey said.

The UFC’s biggest star, Rousey arrived in Rio as the overwhelming favorite against Correia (9-1) after winning her previous three title defenses in a combined 96 seconds. She needed only 14 seconds to beat Cat Zingano at UFC 184 earlier this year.

“It kind of went how I expected it,” Rousey said. “I planned to instead of trying to force a clinch, overwhelm her (by) striking first so that she would want to clinch first, and that’s exactly what happened.”

Rousey, who has been redefining the sport, has won 11 of her fights in the first round while being taken to the third round once. She has finished most of her opponents with her signature armbar, but this time it was her striking force that made the difference.

In the second-to-last fight on the main card on Saturday, Mauricio Rua topped Rogerio Nogueira with a unanimous decision in a fight between veteran Brazilian light heavyweight fighters. It was a rematch of a fight between the two in 2005, when Rua won a contest that lasted 38 minutes.

“I knew he was going to be well prepared, but I won, I got the victory,” Rua said.

In other fights Saturday, top-ranked strawweight fighter Claudia Gadelha of Brazil defeated Mexican-born Jessica Aguilar with a unanimous decision after three rounds; heavyweight Antonio Silva of Brazil beat Soa Palelei of Australia with a second-round knockout; Stefan Struve of the Netherlands beat Brazil’s Minotauro Nogueira with a unanimous decision.

]]>http://ksnt.com/2015/08/02/ronda-rousey-wins-in-34-seconds-kos-bethe-correia/feed/0Sun, 02 Aug 2015 21:36:11 +0000Ronda Rousey, Bethe CorreiazaldydoyunganksntAll eyes on leading sack leader Houston after $101 contracthttp://ksnt.com/2015/08/02/all-eyes-on-leading-sack-leader-houston-after-101-contract/
http://ksnt.com/2015/08/02/all-eyes-on-leading-sack-leader-houston-after-101-contract/#commentsSun, 02 Aug 2015 21:33:35 +0000http://ksnt.com/?p=143868]]>ST. JOSEPH, Mo. (AP) — The massive linebacker with the sweat-drenched biceps insists he never took a day off this offseason, even if he never showed up for one of the Kansas City Chiefs’ workouts.

Early in training camp, it’s easy to believe him.

With his familiar No. 50 stretched across his broad shoulders, Justin Houston has wasted no time in terrorizing quarterbacks again — even if they happened to be his own teammates. While the Chiefs worked out in only shells during the first couple of days, and hitting the QB is always taboo this time of year, more than once Houston could have easily leveled the boom.

“I just made sure about being busy at all times,” said Houston, who often posted videos of his offseason workouts on social media while his representatives worked on a long-term contract.

The deal was consummated just over a week ago, a six-year, $101 million pact.

“I knew the guys here were working, and I knew the strength coaches were going to have these guys in shape,” Houston explained, “so I didn’t want to show up out of shape. Whenever I got that call, I wanted to make sure I was ready.”

The Chiefs will certainly be counting on him.

After piling up a franchise-record 22 sacks a year ago, Houston will have to anchor a defense that is already without two starters for Week 1, and that is getting older by the day.

Defensive tackle Dontari Poe, so critical in tying up offensive linemen and giving Houston a clear path to the quarterback, will miss all of training camp and likely part of the season after surgery for a herniated disc. Poe is on campus at Missouri Western, but the 350-pounder is nowhere close to being ready to step onto the practice field.

Then there’s cornerback Sean Smith, who’s suspended the first three games of the regular season for violating the league’s substance-abuse policy. It was Smith’s ability to lock down the opponent’s top wide receiver that often gave Houston time to get to the quarterback.

“Instantly, it’s kind of like a bulls-eye on your head,” said fellow linebacker Tamba Hali, who was in a similar situation when he signed a big contract a few years ago. “Everybody is going to scrutinize everything you do. Twenty-two sacks? People think that’s easy to do, so if he even gets 12 or 14 sacks, people are going to scrutinize. But that’s hard to do.”

Houston insists he can handle the weight of his massive contract, just as easily as he pushes up the countless plates he puts on the bench-press bar. It doesn’t matter that he will be double-teamed all season, or that the focus of opposing defenses will be squarely on him.

“I’m going to continue to do what I do,” he said. “Be ready for every game, continue to stay focused and continue to work like I’ve been working. Nothing changes.”

Chiefs owner Clark Hunt certainly hopes that’s the case.

After all, he opened his checkbook to write the largest check in franchise history, one that will pay the 26-year-old Houston $52.5 million in guarantees. It is the second-richest contract for a defensive player in NFL history, trailing only the $114 million, six-year deal Ndamukong Suh landed from the Miami Dolphins this past offseason.

“That’s part of today’s NFL,” Hunt said. “Just is a great player. He’s a great leader, he’s great in the community. He’s the type of player we want associated with the Chiefs for the bulk of his career. We always want to reward players we draft, that have grown up in our system.”

Hunt said he wasn’t in touch with general manager John Dorsey on a day-by-day basis, but the value of the contract naturally kept him in tune to negotiations.

Nor was Hunt worried about giving the deal to Houston, who fell from a potential first-round pick to the third round after testing positive for marijuana at the scouting combine. In the years since he was draft, Houston has proven to be the consummate professional.

“He’s turned into a great player,” Hunt said, “and a great leader.”

NOTES: It was Alumni Day at training camp. Among those on hand were former GM Carl Peterson, seven-time Pro Bowl OL Ed Budde and two-time Pro Bowl DT Bill Maas. … WR Albert Wilson had the highlight of the day, torching CB Sean Smith for a long touchdown catch. Smith promptly dropped down and did pushups as punishment for getting beat.

Both benches and bullpens emptied after Toronto reliever Aaron Sanchez was ejected for throwing at Kansas City’s Alcides Escobar in the eighth. It was the climax of a game-long spat that began when Royals starter Edinson Volquez hit Josh Donaldson on the left arm in the first.

Donaldson and Volquez traded stares and words as the Blue Jays slugger took a slow walk to first base. Home plate umpire Jim Wolf warned both dugouts.

When Donaldson batted again in the third, Volquez missed high and inside with a pitch that sailed to the backstop. Blue Jays manager John Gibbons came out to argue but Volquez was not ejected.

In the seventh, Royals reliever Ryan Madson hit Troy Tulowitzki on the right forearm, then threw high and inside to Donaldson, who stepped out and yelled at Wolf. Gibbons and on-deck hitter Jose Bautista stepped in to break up the argument, and Gibbons was eventually ejected.

After Donaldson struck out, Bautista made it 3-0 with a double to center, and yelled at Madson as he ran to first.

Donaldson and Volquez had to be restrained after Sanchez was ejected for hitting Escobar. Gibbons and Colabello, who’d just been replaced for defense, both ran out to join the scrum. Wolf ejected both Sanchez and Blue Jays bench coach DeMarlo Hale.

The sellout crowd of 45,736 jeered Wolf after the umpires had cleared the field.

Roberto Osuna replaced Sanchez and allowed a two-run homer to Ben Zobrist, cutting it to 3-2.

Toronto scored a pair of insurance runs in the bottom half after Kelvin Herrera walked the bases loaded. Ben Revere hit a sacrifice fly and Tulowitzki had an RBI single.

Osuna finished in the ninth for his seventh save.

Pitching on three days’ rest, Dickey (6-10) allowed just two hits, both singles, and walked two in winning his third straight start.

Kansas City was among the opponents Dickey beat the last time he won three straight. He also posted victories over the New York Yankees and Minnesota in that run, from Aug. 26 to Sept. 2, 2013.

Toronto denied Volquez his third straight win and handed Kansas City its fourth loss in five games.

Volquez retired Kevin Pillar and Ryan Goins to strand runners at the corners in the second before the Blue Jays opened the scoring in the fourth. Edwin Encarnacion led off with a single and Colabello followed with a drive to left, his 10th.

Volquez (10-6) allowed two runs and four hits in six innings.

TRAINER’S ROOM

Royals: 3B Mike Moustakas (right knee) was held out of the lineup after being hit by a pitch in the ninth inning Saturday.

UP NEXT

Royals: Kansas City is off Monday before beginning a three game series in Detroit Tuesday. LHP Danny Duffy (4-5, 4.28 ERA) faces RHP Justin Verlander (1-3, 4.86 ERA) in the opener. Duffy allowed a career-high three home runs in a loss to Toronto last Thursday. He’s 2-6 with a 3.16 ERA in 10 career starts against the Tigers.

Blue Jays: LHP David Price (9-4, 2.53 ERA) makes his Toronto debut Monday afternoon as the Blue Jays begin a pivotal series against wild-card rival Minnesota. Price is 7-0 with a 3.86 ERA in nine career starts at Rogers Centre. His opponent will be Twins RHP Ervin Santana (2-1, 3.78 ERA).

According to the Jackson County Sheriff’s office, he fled on foot twice Saturday, August 1; once in the morning and once in the afternoon. Police initially received a call on a suspicious person and later realized that Adams was wanted on a warrant out of Wyandotte County.

Adams is 25 years old, 6 feet tall, and weighs 190 pounds. He has brown hair and hazel eyes.

He was last seen on 134th Road and V4 Road by a Jackson County deputy. He was wearing black pants, a black ball cap, no shirt, and glasses. He has a goatee and long dark hair. Sheriff Tim Morse says he may have a scar on his face.

The public is asked to keep their doors locked and keys out of their vehicles.

If you see Adams, or anyone suspicious, please call 911 or the Jackson County Sheriff’s office at 785-364-2251.

WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — A 9-year-old bat boy is hospitalized after being hit in the head during a National Baseball Congress World Series game.

The Wichita Eagle reports that the boy was struck by a follow-through swing near the on-deck circle on Saturday afternoon. A spokesman for the National Baseball Congress says the child was wearing a helmet, which is mandatory.

Home-plate umpire Mark Goldfeder, who is a longtime paramedic, treated the boy until an ambulance arrived. The boy was taken to a local hospital in critical condition.

The boy was a bat boy for the Liberal Bee Jays. The team’s general manager Mike Carlile identified the boy as Kaiser Carlile.

Copyright 2015 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

ALPHARETTA, Ga. (AP) — Bobby Brown’s sister vowed the family feud was “far from over” between their family and the late Whitney Houston’s kin during the memorial service for her niece, Bobbi Kristina Brown.

A frustrated Leolah Brown walked out of the St. James United Methodist Church in Alpharetta on Saturday and spoke to reporters gathered outside. She was angry because of some words that were said during the funeral by Pat Houston, the sister-in-law and former manager of Whitney Houston.

“I told her that Whitney is going to haunt her from the grave,” Leolah Brown told reporters outside the church.

Before she went back inside the church, Leolah Brown expressed her love for Bobbi Kristina and Whitney Houston. But she ultimately spewed more venom toward Pat Houston, calling her a “phony” and not a “blood relative.”

“It’s just getting started,” she said.

Bobbi Kristina, who dreamed of growing up to achieve fame like her mother, died in hospice care July 26, about six months after she was found face-down and unresponsive in a bathtub in her suburban Atlanta townhome on Jan. 31.

An email to the Houston family rep was not returned.

For years, there’s been a longstanding rift between the families of the young woman’s famous mother and father. Bobby Brown briefly appeared at Houston’s funeral three years ago, saying he and his children were seated but asked repeatedly to move. Brown said he left because he didn’t want to create a scene, but was upset.

The 22-year-old Bobbi Kristina was the only child between Brown and Whitney Houston.

Bobbi Kristina’s death was grimly similar to the way her mother had died three years earlier.

Houston’s assistant found the singer’s lifeless body face-down in a foot of water in her bathtub at the Beverly Hilton Hotel just before the Grammy Awards in 2012. Authorities found prescription drugs in the suite, and evidence of heart disease and cocaine in her body, but determined her death was an accidental drowning.

Bobbi Kristina was found in the townhome she shared with Nick Gordon, an orphan three years older, whom Houston had raised as her own. Bobbi Kristina referred to him as her husband. A police report earlier this year described the incident as a drowning, and authorities are investigating her death.

Relations between Gordon and other relatives have soured over the past few years, especially after Bobbi Kristina was hospitalized. A protective order barred him from being within 200 feet of Pat Houston. And a feud erupted over whether Gordon could visit Bobbi Kristina while she stayed in the hospital.

Fulton County District Attorney Paul Howard said he and his office are interested in reviewing the investigative file to determine whether any charges will be filed.

Leolah Brown said she believes Gordon was involved in the death of her niece.

Lawyers for Gordon declined to comment.

Bobbi Kristina was raised in the shadow of her famous parents’ hugely public life.

She appeared alongside the couple in 2005 on the Bravo reality show “Being Bobby Brown,” which showed her parents fighting, swearing and making court appearances. She attended award shows with her mother and father, walked red carpets with them and sang in Central Park with Houston as adoring fans watched.

Houston and Brown were married 15 years. Their tumultuous relationship ended in 2007.

On Saturday, she was remembered in a private service. A hearse carrying Bobbi Kristina arrived nearly three hours ahead of the service. Four men dressed in black suits carried the coffin into the church.

Eight police motorcycles escorted three stretch limousines, carrying mourners to the church in Alpharetta ahead of the service. A procession of dozens of cars followed.

Security was heavy outside the church. About 75 members of the media stood behind a barricade at the entrance of the church parking lot, while more than two dozen onlookers were just a few feet behind them.

Alpharetta police say they were assisted by more than a dozen state troopers to manage traffic and shut down lanes to accommodate parking around the church where the service was being held.

Several celebrities showed up for the funeral including filmmaker Tyler Perry, Grammy-winning R&B singer Monica and Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed.

Bobbi Kristina was the sole heir of her mother’s estate. She identified herself on Twitter as “Daughter of Queen WH,” ”Entertainer/Actress” with William Morris & Co., and “LAST of a dying breed.”

She told Oprah Winfrey shortly after her mother’s death in 2012 that she wanted to carry on Houston’s legacy by singing, acting and dancing. But her career never took off.

In her short life, Bobbi Kristina became a social media sensation, sending more than 11,000 tweets and attracting 164,000 followers.

Copyright 2015 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

ROCK HILL, S.C. (AP) — A South Carolina woman has been sentenced to five years of probation for fatally neglecting her boyfriend, who died several months after being taken to the hospital with bedsores, mold in his catheter and bug bites.

Perdue cried as she told the judge she loved Jonathan Earle but failed him. Earle had multiple health problems, including multiple sclerosis and diabetes. He was also blind. He died on his 41st birthday in September 2012.

“I loved him with all my heart,” Perdue said before being sentenced. “I was incapable of taking care of him.”

Prosecutor Erin Joyner said Perdue called 911 on May 23, 2012, after Earle began bleeding from his catheter. He arrived at the emergency room dehydrated and filthy. Joyner said Earle also had a urinary tract infection, and his blood-sugar level was so high, “it was unreadable.”

Detectives who went to their home said they had to wade through knee-deep trash. Crime scene investigators wore biohazard suits and masks.

Perdue’s defense attorney said her client suffered from depression and a troubled past that included her father being murdered and her ex-husband leaving her and their children after she confronted him about having another family.

Her attorney, Mindy Lipinski, said Earle’s health began deteriorating soon after they began dating. Lipinski said her client tried to tell Earle she couldn’t care for him on her own, but he didn’t want to be in a nursing home.

Perdue, a mother of two, faced up to 30 years in prison. Two counts of unlawful neglect of a child were dropped in exchange for her plea.

If she violates her probation, she faces 10 years in prison.

Rock Hill is about 27 miles south of Charlotte.

Copyright 2015 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

NEW YORK (AP) — Verizon and unions representing workers in nine states said employees will work without a contract as more negotiations are scheduled.

The wireless carrier and leaders of the Communications Workers of America and the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers announced the decision early Sunday, shortly after a contract covering 39,000 workers expired.

The unions said they are prepared to schedule regular bargaining sessions, but that they will leave the sites of their round-the-clock negotiations in Philadelphia and Rye, New York.

Marc Reed, Verizon’s chief administrative officer, said the company is “disappointed” it was unable to reach an agreement with the unions despite “six weeks of good faith bargaining and a very strong effort by the company.” However, he said Verizon representatives will continue to meet with union leaders.

The unions say the telecom giant is demanding that workers sharply increase their health care contributions and make concession on pensions. They contend Verizon is demanding cuts in jobs and job security and wants to either eliminate the company’s 401k benefit match or freeze its defined benefit pension. In addition, workers might be asked to pay “thousands more dollars” in health care costs due to higher deductibles, co-pays and co-insurance costs, according to the CWA’s website.

“Verizon has earned $1billion a month in profits over the last 18 months, and paid its top handful of executives $249 million over the last 5 years, but continues to insist on eliminating our job security and driving down our standard of living,” Dennis Trainor, a CWA vice president who represents Verizon workers in New Jersey, New York and Massachusetts, said in a statement Sunday. “We’re not going to take it, and we’re going to keep the fight going while we’re on the job.”

Reed said Verizon presented the unions with a counter-proposal Saturday night that included changes to the company’s previous proposals on healthcare benefits, retirement benefits and other subjects.

He said the company’s proposal remains on the table at this time.

Verizon has said a strike would have a “minimal” effect on customers because it has trained thousands of nonunion employees and can also reroute calls to call centers not affected by the strike, and resolve some problems remotely.

“We remain fully prepared to handle any work stoppage so that our products and services will be available where and when our customers need them,” Reed said in a statement.

The contract covers employees from Massachusetts to Virginia and Washington, D.C., who work for Verizon’s wireline business, which provides fixed-line phone services and FiOS Internet service.

About 45,000 Verizon workers went on strike in August 2011 for about two weeks.

Copyright 2015 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

BALTIMORE (AP) — A commission established to review homicides in Baltimore has stalled because its leaders say the city’s top prosecutor isn’t sharing information that’s needed for the program to work.

The city spent nearly $200,000 last year to launch the Homicide Review Commission. It was meant to bring together elected officials, police leaders, academics, public health officials and others to identify trends that leads to slayings and how best to respond.

Daniel Webster, director of the Johns Hopkins Center for Gun Policy and Research, was tapped to lead the project. He tells The Baltimore Sun that State Attorney Marilyn Mosby’s refusal to provide information on ongoing cases “took the air out of the whole process.” Mosby tells The Sun that providing information could compromise investigations or jeopardize the safety of victims.

Baltimore reached a grim milestone on Friday, three months after riots erupted in response to the death of Freddie Gray in police custody: With 45 homicides in July, the highest monthly murder rate in 43 years.

Copyright 2015 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Federal officials had been ordered by U.S. District Judge Andrew Hanen to offer a detailed explanation of how the permits were wrongly given out in May after Hanen put Obama’s immigration plan on hold Feb. 16 at the request of a coalition of 26 states, led by Texas, that sued to stop the proposed action.

Hanen, based in Brownsville, had threatened to hold Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson and other top immigration enforcement officials in contempt of court if the problems weren’t fixed.

In court documents filed late Friday night, Justice Department attorneys said the federal government now complies with Hanen’s preliminary injunction that suspended the Obama plan, which proposed expanding a program that young immigrants from deportation if they were brought to the U.S. illegally as children and adding another that extends deportation protections to parents of U.S. citizens and permanent residents who have been in the country for some years.

In a 52-page document, federal attorneys said the three-year work authorizations had either been converted to two years or rescinded altogether in cases where those given the authorization failed to return them as required.

Federal authorities said that officials worked to recover an additional 500 three-year work permits that had been issued prior to the judge’s injunction but were returned as undeliverable and mistakenly mailed again after the injunction was issued. U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services dispatched dozens of representatives to contact those who were issued the permits, agency director Leon Rodriguez said in a statement filed among the court documents.

Saying they had “remedied the situation” that prompted Hanen to threaten contempt citations, the federal attorneys asked that Hanen cancel an Aug. 19 hearing he scheduled to have federal officials explain how the problems were corrected. The judge had previously said he would cancel the hearing if he was satisfied federal officials had fixed the problems.

It was not immediately known if Hanen still planned to hold the hearing. If he does, federal attorneys ask that he excuse all but Rodriguez from appearing.

Hanen has previously criticized the federal government’s actions in the lawsuit, saying it had been “misleading” after officials revealed that more than 108,000 people had already received three-year reprieves from deportation as well as work permits when the judge had believed that no action would be taken before he issued a ruling.

Justice Department attorneys apologized for any confusion but insisted the reprieves were granted under a 2012 program that wasn’t affected by the injunction.

Obama said in November when putting forth the executive order that lack of action by Congress forced him to make sweeping changes to immigration rules on his own. The coalition of states argues Obama’s action is unconstitutional.

A ruling on an appeal of Hanen’s injunction is pending from the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in New Orleans, which heard arguments in the case on July 10.

TOPEKA (KSNT) – Hundreds of volleyball players filled the Christ the King Soccer Fields on Saturday, and it was all for a good cause.

The Topeka Impact volleyball team held a tournament fundraiser to support their friend Mia Miyamoto.

Mia was diagnosed with a very rare form of cancer earlier this year.

Organizers used the idea they had in the past of raising money for tornado victims, and implemented it to raising money in support of Mia’s medical bills.

“They were telling me what she was diagnosed with and her situation and I got to thinking, why not try to do something for this kid and their family to help with medical bills,” said Mark Evans, one of the organizers. “In ten days, we’re going to come close to raising about $9,000 for this kid.”

The event featured current KU, K-State, and Washburn volleyball players.

All the proceeds will go to Mia and her family.

]]>http://ksnt.com/2015/08/01/local-volleyball-club-host-fundraiser-for-cancer-patient/feed/0Sun, 02 Aug 2015 01:15:50 +0000Playing for MiazaldydoyunganksntCornerback battle heats up in Chiefs first full practicehttp://ksnt.com/2015/08/01/cornerback-battle-heats-up-in-chiefs-first-full-practice/
http://ksnt.com/2015/08/01/cornerback-battle-heats-up-in-chiefs-first-full-practice/#commentsSun, 02 Aug 2015 00:48:54 +0000http://ksnt.com/?p=143813]]>ST. JOSEPH, Mo. (AP) — There was already going to be plenty of competition for one of the starting cornerback jobs in Kansas City, even before the Chiefs learned Sean Smith would be suspended for the first three games of the regular season.

Now, there are two jobs up for grab.

The battle began in earnest Saturday, when the Chiefs had their first full-squad workout of training camp on the campus of Missouri Western. Nearly a dozen players on the roster are capable of playing cornerback, and nearly half have a realistic shot at a starting job.

That makes the competition one of the most intriguing of camp.

“We rotate guys in there anyways, and it really doesn’t matter the side,” Chiefs coach Andy Reid said. “We’ve got enough guys there, including the rookies, that can come in and work into the rotation. We’ve got plenty of guys to work through that.”

Phillip Gaines appears to have the edge on the rest of the crew after starting five games as a rookie a year ago. But he’ll be pushed by a pair of rookies, including first-round pick Marcus Peters, and a host of more experienced players — Marcus Cooper, Jamell Fleming and Ron Parker, who is capable of playing safety along with cornerback.

Gaines, a former third-round pick, got off to a slow start as a rookie. But he came on late in the season, then made perhaps the biggest strides of anyone in the Chiefs’ offseason program.

Cooper has started 10 games over the past two seasons, but he struggled so much late last season that he was eventually benched. Fleming took over the job after bouncing through Arizona and Jacksonville, and played reasonably well. Parker is more adept at safety, but he has the kind of speed and athleticism that the Chiefs wisely re-signed him in free agency.

Then there are the rookies, the complete unknowns.

Peters, once thought to be a top-10 talent, was chosen 18th overall out of Washington, even after he was kicked off his team for what amounted to insubordination last season. Peters insists that all his off-the-field trouble is in the past, and the Chiefs have been pleased by the way he has carried himself since arriving in Kansas City.

“It’s a job that you have to do,” Peters said. “For me, it’s a sacrifice that I placed upon my family for me to come out here to do certain things to provide for them in certain ways.”

The other rookie with a shot at the starting job is Steven Nelson, a third-round pick out of Oregon State — though he may be better suited to the nickel position.

Both of them have some ground to make up. Washington and Oregon State are among the schools on a different academic schedule than most colleges, so the rookies had to return to finish their classwork after they were drafted. That means they missed out on much of the offseason program, though Peters and Nelson remained in touch, helping each other grasp the system.

“We help each other out whenever we can,” Nelson said, “just going over the playbook or anything. Whenever we have questions off the field we might go to each other since we’re right next door and talk to each other.”

Smith, the Chiefs’ top cornerback, was suspended last week after pleading guilty to drunken driving. First-time offenders are usually given a two-game suspension from the NFL, but Smith was hit with an additional game because he crashed his car into a light pole.

Reid said that Smith will still get repetitions in training camp, but it remains to be seen how the coach will split up snaps in preseason games, beginning Aug. 15 at Arizona.

As for Smith, he plans tutor the rest of the cornerbacks as much as possible.

“That’s been my role since I’ve been in the NFL with anybody that’s younger than me,” he said, “because all it takes is one play for me to be hurt, and then they have to step in anyway. My job is to make sure everybody around me is better, regardless of first-team, second-team, a safety, a linebacker. If it’s anybody that I can help out on the field, I’m going to do it.”

NOTES: WR Jeremy Maclin made a couple of deep catches, giving the Chiefs exactly what they wanted when they signed him in the offseason. … Thousands of fans showed up for the first day of training camp, forming a line into the practice facility that stretched nearly half a mile. … Rookie WR Chris Conley (knee) did not participate in the practice.

___

]]>http://ksnt.com/2015/08/01/cornerback-battle-heats-up-in-chiefs-first-full-practice/feed/0Sun, 02 Aug 2015 00:48:54 +0000Chiefs Camp FootballzaldydoyunganksntManhattan community comes together in more than one wayhttp://ksnt.com/2015/08/01/manhattan-community-comes-together-in-more-than-one-way/
http://ksnt.com/2015/08/01/manhattan-community-comes-together-in-more-than-one-way/#commentsSat, 01 Aug 2015 22:47:39 +0000http://ksnt.com/?p=143797]]>MANHATTAN (KSNT) — Hundreds of people filled the Douglas Center Annex today as members of the Manhattan community came out to the Everybody Counts event held to help those in need. The event is in response to last year’s USD 383 board of education report. It concluded that more than 250 students admitted to experiencing homelessness.

“It’s really nice because some people don’t have this option and luckily the community gets together and does things like this for people who need help and that’s what we’re doing here,” says Daniel Silva, who attended the event.

The Everybody Counts event is meant not only to bring the community together, but to let them know about the resources that are there to help. Nearly 40 community social service agencies and community based organizations set up booths to share information about their services. Health professionals were also available to provide basic medical, dental and mental health screenings at no cost.

Debbie Nuss, the Everybody Counts Committee Chair, says Manhattan has “a high poverty rate.” She says, “We have people that their needs aren’t being met in a lot of ways and so this is a way for us to all come together as a community to help each other.”

Free food, clothes and a community meal were available for all. Officials say this is just the beginning of many events to come to meet the needs of families in the community.

]]>http://ksnt.com/2015/08/01/manhattan-community-comes-together-in-more-than-one-way/feed/0Sun, 02 Aug 2015 16:05:39 +0000CLVmkkgUwAEdu0DksntkatyaleickNBA plays first game in Africahttp://ksnt.com/2015/08/01/nba-plays-first-game-in-africa/
http://ksnt.com/2015/08/01/nba-plays-first-game-in-africa/#commentsSat, 01 Aug 2015 22:26:58 +0000http://ksnt.com/?p=143806]]>JOHANNESBURG (AP) — The NBA put on a show in its first exhibition game in Africa on Saturday — starting with a dunk straight from the tip-off by Luc Mbah a Moute.

That had the crowd roaring early at Ellis Park Arena in downtown Johannesburg. It got even louder when African NBA legends Hakeem Olajuwon and Dikembe Mutombo stripped off their business suits to don their old team uniforms again and play for a little while in the second quarter.

The 52-year-old Olajuwon, in a Houston No. 34 jersey, pulled off a turn-around jumper — the “Dream Shake” — that had the current NBA stars leaping off the benches with their arms in the air.

“That’s one of the most memorable experiences ever,” said Chris Paul, one of the team captains. “I told Dream, if he’s still moving like that at his age now, I couldn’t imagine him in his day.”

After a relaxed first half, the game got serious in the second: Paul’s Team World rallied with a 14-0 run in the fourth quarter to beat Luol Deng’s “home” Team Africa 101-97.

“In the second half we decided enough was enough and we needed to do a lot better if we didn’t want to lose by 40,” Team World’s Pau Gasol said.

Washington’s Bradley Beal led Team World with 18 points while Paul had 12. Milwaukee’s Giannis Antetokounmpo had 22 points for Team Africa, with Deng adding 20.

But this game was largely about the entertainment factor, with cheerleaders and several NBA team mascots mixing it up with the South African crowd.

Even the timeouts were used for stunts: Team Africa coach Gregg Popovich took one in the second quarter that wasn’t used for a team talk, but to give everyone a chance to watch fans breakdance alongside San Antonio mascot Coyote, Philadelphia’s Franklin, and Atlanta’s Harry the Hawk. Even Popovich, the five-time NBA winning coach, had a big grin.

At the start of the third quarter, Paul decided that was enough fooling around, hitting three straight 3-pointers to bring the “visiting” team back. Team Africa, made up of players born in Africa or with African heritage, couldn’t hold off the late surge.

“We didn’t finish the game. But there’s still room for improvement,” Team Africa’s Boris Diaw of the San Antonio Spurs said, hoping for another chance to play for an African lineup. “It was an amazing experience. So proud to be able to represent the continent.”

After Jeff Green’s dunk and a layup by Evan Turner, Team World was suddenly leading 85-78 in the fourth and the South African crowd had a proper game. Team World led 99-97 with a couple of seconds to go when Green was fouled and made both free throws to seal the game.

The South African exhibition was the NBA’s biggest step into Africa so far, and could be the pre-cursor to a preseason and maybe even a regular season game on the continent, according to Commissioner Adam Silver.

“For me, as a kid, (I wanted) to play basketball and never had the access to meet NBA players, or watch NBA,” said Deng, who was born in South Sudan. “Now to be part of a team coming back to play for Africa. I can’t describe it.”

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Some hackers are exploiting Microsoft’s offer of free upgrades to its new Windows 10 operating system.

Security researchers are warning about a wave of bogus spam emails with malicious attachments, labeled as if they’re legitimate copies of the new program.

The attachments contain a “ransomware” program that, when opened, locks all the data on a computer and demands payment to release them.

Researchers at Cisco Systems say the emails are designed to look like an official upgrade notice from Microsoft Corp., but several words have random, out-of-place letters and punctuation.

Another important clue: Microsoft says its update mechanism provides computer owners with a notice on their screens — not via email — when a direct Internet download is available. Experts warn against clicking on files that come with unsolicited emails.

Copyright 2015 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Ben Zobrist hit solo home runs from both sides of the plate, Eric Hosmer singled home the go-ahead run in the eighth inning and the Kansas City Royals beat Lowe and the Blue Jays 7-6 on Saturday to snap a three-game losing streak.

Lowe (0-2) was charged with three runs in one inning after allowing just four in 34 prior appearances this season.

“That’s not going to make or break his career in Toronto,” manager John Gibbons said of Lowe’s tough outing.

One of five players acquired by the Blue Jays in a busy week of deals leading up to Friday’s non-waiver deadline, Lowe had his worst outing since giving up four runs on May 15, 2013, also against Kansas City.

“I wasn’t ahead of guys as well as I normally was,” Lowe said.

Still, he wasn’t getting down on himself.

“I have the reliever mentality,” Lowe explained. “The sun’s going to come up tomorrow and we’ve got a brand-new game.”

Zobrist, who went 3 for 4 and scored three runs, homered from the right side in the first and doubled and scored in the sixth.

“It feels incredible,” Zobrist said.

Zobrist turned around to the left side and tied it at 5 with a drive to right off Lowe in the eighth. Lorenzo Cain doubled and scored on Hosmer’s base hit, Kendrys Morales singled Hosmer to third and Salvador Perez hit a sacrifice fly.

“We had to have this one today,” Royals manager Ned Yost said.

Yordano Ventura (6-7) gave up five runs and six hits in seven innings to win back-to-back starts for the first time since April.

Wade Davis worked the eighth and Greg Holland pitched around a walk and a single for his 23rd save. Josh Donaldson grounded out to end it, stranding the tying run at third as Toronto fell to 11-23 in one-run games.

Bautista connected off Davis in the eighth, the first home run allowed by the Royals reliever in 125 2-3 innings. Davis hadn’t given up a homer since Washington’s Ian Desmond hit one off him on Aug. 24, 2013, Davis’ most recent start.

“Wade is the best setup man in the game,” Yost said. “He really does a great job of limiting the extra base hits.”

Edwin Encarnacion almost went back-to-back with Bautista, but his drive to center was caught on the warning track.

Toronto’s Mark Buehrle set down 15 of 16 following Zobrist’s one-out drive in the first.

Ventura started even stronger, retiring the first 11 batters he faced. That streak ended when the Blue Jays strung together four straight singles in the fourth, including RBI hits by Justin Smoak and Dioner Navarro.

Toronto made it 5-1 in the fifth on back-to-back home runs by Donaldson, a two-run drive into the second deck, and Bautista. It was the sixth time this season the Blue Jays have hit consecutive home runs.

Kansas City answered in the sixth when Buehrle’s throwing error opened the door for a three-run rally. Hosmer extended his hitting streak to 14 games with a two-run single and Kendrys Morales drove in the third run with a base hit to right.

A four-time Gold Glove winner, Buehrle said he was embarrassed by his error.

NEW YORK (AP) — The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has opened an investigation into Harman car radios following a recent recall of 1.4 million Fiat Chrysler cars and trucks due to a hacking vulnerability.

Hackers got into a Jeep Cherokee SUV through an electronic opening in the radio and were able to take control of the car over the Internet. The vulnerability, exposed by two security experts and well-known hackers, was first disclosed in Wired magazine.

In response, Fiat Chrysler said it sealed off a loophole in its internal cellular telephone network with vehicles to prevent similar attacks and issued a voluntary recall.

The NHTSA is investigating which other cars have the affected radios and whether they are vulnerable.

Copyright 2015 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

CHARLESTON, SC – It has been a week since Perry Cohen and Austin Stephanos went missing during a fishing trip, their boat was found of the Florida coast. It’s believed the current would have taken them north and that has been how the search has progressed for Blu Stephanos, Austin’s Father.

“I feel like a drained battery I feel like I have been going as hard as I can, and every time I have someone just say they are going to find them or they are praying for me– or I meet them out here at the airstrip and they are flying, it gives me more hope and more energy– they will ever know.” said Stephanos at the airport on John’s Island Friday.

“We had twenty planes up in the air yesterday; private planes and I think we had another twenty the day before”

From Jupiter Florida to Georgia now to the waters off of Charleston it has been non-stop for an emotional father.

“I am giving it all I’ve got. I know those boys are out there I know they are ok.”

The outpouring of support financially has been huge as well an effort sparkled by social media quickly raised $300,000 but Stephanos knows the money will not last long. “We are going through a lot if money really fast though and it scares the hell out of me because I think we spent probably about $100,000 yesterday just in this search.”

It is a taxing search both emotionally and financially– Stephanos says he is getting father from this Florida home but his spirit and certainty keeps him heading north, where support may start to become harder and harder to find.

“I don’t know really that many people up here so anything that anyone can do to help me out at this point words can’t express how grateful I would be and how in need I feel at this point right now.”

The families asking those interested in joining the search efforts by land, air or sea to email findperryandaustin@gmail.com. There is a $100,000 reward for their safe return.

U.S. District Judge Jackson Kiser said he will do some research before he decides if he will issue an order for license plates with the flag already on vehicles to be replaced. The judge will ask for input from the DMV on how the process of retrieving license plates would work and what would happen if someone refused to return a plate.

According to a representative with the Attorney General’s Office, it could be weeks before the judge would issue such an order.

Judge Kiser previously placed an injunction that forced Virginia to issue Confederate flag license plates after the Sons of Confederate Veterans sued the state and argued banning the plates infringed on the group’s First Amendment right to free speech.

The DMV said it is making preparations for the possibility of existing plates needing to be replaced, according to the attorney general.

Saturday afternoon, several news outlets, including CNN, NBC News and USA Today, reported Jericho the lion also was illegally killed in Zimbabwe. According to CNN, the Zimbabwe Conservation Task Force reported on its Facebook page at 4 p.m. local time that Jericho had been killed. An officer from the task force also had confirmed the killing. However, an Oxford University researcher tracking Jericho told the outlet the lion was alive and moving as of 8 p.m. local time Saturday.

According to CNN, the GPS device used to track Jericho didn’t suggest anything out of the ordinary.

Cecil the lion’s killing sparked an international uproar after the beloved feline was lured out of a national park, killed, skinned and beheaded last week by an American hunter and two local guides. USA Today also reported Jericho recently had been seen protecting Cecil’s orphaned cubs.

The two Zimbabweans, a professional hunter and a farm owner, have been arrested. Zimbabwe authorities are working with the United States government to extradite Walter Palmer back to the African country to face potential charges for the alleged trophy kill.

Following the public outcry, Zimbabwe has suspended the hunting of lions, leopards and elephants in the area where Cecil was killed. Wildlife authorities said it was necessary to tighten hunting regulations following Cecil’s death, and they hope the incident raises awareness to the country’s regulations.

“The outrage over Cecil could have helped because people are now more aware and ready to come with information,” Zimbabwe Parks and Wildlife conservation director Geoffrey Matipano told The Associated Press.

The 48-year-old central Indiana farmer can’t recall anything like the deluges he’s seen from late May on this summer; the latest was a 4-inch downpour a week ago. Neither can his father, who’s been farming for 50 years.

“I always try to stay optimistic about crops, but this is a year where it’s been really tough to be optimistic,” said Lamb, who began farming in 1989 near Lebanon, Indiana.

It’s a scene playing out in Illinois and Indiana, both of which set rainfall records for June, and four other key farm states. Climatologists are assessing what brought on the repeated precipitation, keeping corn and soybean fields from drying out and setting the stage for big crop losses in several states just a year after record harvests. Those losses and their impact on crop prices are expected to be offset by bountiful harvests in the western cornbelt states of Minnesota, Iowa, Nebraska and the Dakotas.

The Midwestern Regional Climate Center in Champaign, Illinois, is looking into the causes of the rain-sodden summer — Illinois saw twice the normal amount of rain for the month of June alone — including whether the largest El Nino system in a decade or climate change played a role.

A stationary front that stalled over the region in late spring funneled in the parade of drenching low-pressure systems that swept the region throughout June and into July, said Bryan Peake, one of the center’s climatologists.

“Some stations were getting three or four inches in a day, and some were all the way up to six or seven inches in extreme cases, just really astonishing amounts,” he said.

East-central Illinois farmer Mark Henrichs isn’t sure whether the crippling rains, which came three years after a devastating drought, might be tied to changes climate scientists have predicted global warming might bring. But the 58-year-old knows they were highly unusual.

“When you shatter rainfall records that have been existed for over 100 years, it does make you wonder … If you’re shattering rainfall records that are that old, you have to be experiencing atrocious damage. That goes hand in hand,” said Henrichs, who has farmed for 40 years near Chatsworth, Illinois.

About half of his corn crop is now in “horrible” condition and the other half is average after 16 inches of rain in June and close to a foot in July, he said. Last year, he averaged 240 bushels of corn per acre; this year, he expects 165 bushels per acre.

Some corn and soybean plants were drowned, others were stunted with unhealthy roots while the rains washed away soil nutrients. Soybeans can still recover yields if conditions improve during the remainder of the growing season, but corn plants can rebound little this late in the season.

Indiana has seen the worst of it, said Chris Hurt, an agricultural economist at Purdue University. A quarter of its corn crop is listed as “poor” or “very poor” and Hurt predicts $500 million in corn and soybean crop losses. This week, Gov. Mike Pence asked U.S. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack for a disaster declaration for 53 of Indiana’s 92 counties because of crop damage and other flooding-related losses.

Elsewhere, “poor” or “very poor” corn crop conditions are being seen in a fifth of Ohio’s crop, 18 percent in Missouri, 15 percent in Illinois and about one-tenth in Kansas and Michigan.

The first clear assessment of the extent of the Midwest crop losses will come Aug. 12, when the USDA releases its first harvest estimates. But Hurt expects it won’t be October until a truly accurate estimate emerges because of the many remaining variables, including warmer, drier weather in the forecast for August.

There’s no unscathed cropland in central Indiana’s Boone County, a fact worsened by farmers’ inability to boost crops with fertilizer, said Curt Emanuel, an agricultural educator for the Purdue Extension. Some farmers have taken the rare step of using crop-dusters to apply fertilizer on cornfields.

At this point, Emanuel said, farmers have competing wants: drier weather but weekly rainfall, because some corn didn’t develop deep root systems — a problem should it get hot and really dry.

“If it dries out, even for a few days, all of a sudden we could have drought stresses on those plants,” he said. “It’s just that kind of year.”

Copyright 2015 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — A suburban Wichita police officer who fatally shot a man last year will not face charges.

Sedgwick County District Attorney Marc Bennett said Friday the officer who shot 40-year-old Chad Leichhardt at a Haysville apartment was lawfully defending a woman being threatened by Leichhardt.

Investigators say Leichhardt was holding his girlfriend with a knife to her throat and threatening to kill her when the officer shot him last August.

Bennett says the woman was afraid for her life and other officers at the scene thought Leichhardt might kill her. He says the knife was at the woman’s throat until the officer fired a single shot, killing Leichhardt.

The officer’s name has not been released. He’s an 18-year police veteran and was the senior officer at the scene.

Copyright 2015 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.